X-ray-tube shield



June s. 1928.

A. F. PIEPER X-RAY TUBE SHIELD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 12. 1926 A.F. PIEPER X-RAY TUBE SHYIELD Filed July 12. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 o a?0 o 1 519 :10 Z1 5 26. v5 6 /4g INVENTOR v 2.5mm:

Patented June 5, 1928.

UN STA AIJ'PHONSE'F. TIEPERPOF .BOCHESTER,T-NEW"YGRKJ? X-IRAYI-TUBEsmmn-r This-invention relates to X 'ray appliances, such. as,forexample,. to. those having the X-raytubeadjustably. supported soas tobe movable into diflerent-.-. positions. about an 1 object 'to,betreated. 1 It, Lisa-desirable that accidental, contact. withthe tube 2and terminals, particularlythelhigh. tension end of the tube,bewprevented during the operation'of t-hetube inworder. to avoiddangerous injury from. the high: tension .current supplied .to thetube.Itis a common practiceto provide heat radiating ,fins upon thehigh/tension anode-or terminal of; the tube for cooling it. 7 Such finsincrease the tendency of the high potentialonthe anode'fto break downthe: surroundingair gap. and ump ;to other parts: of the apparatus ormum patient.- Various attempts have heretofore been'made to shieldthehigh tension section of the tube, soasto prevent contactr therewithand jumpingwof the l.higl1lpotential across the space surrounding theterminal, particularly toward a patient.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved. appliance,with'which the high tension portion of the .ltubel will beeffectivelyshielded:,a gainst contact therewith by the j patient; with whichthetendency of the high potential to break down the air gap. 'sur;roulidingwt-he. terminal: will be reducedto' a minimum; which willnotinterfere with the radiation of heat. from, the high. tension anodeor terminal; and whichwill'be relatively simple, effective, durableand inexpen-l sive.

Various other objects and advantageswillf be, apparent i from the.following description of an einbodiment :of the invention,...and. thenovel. [features will be kparticu-la'rly[pointed out hereinafter infconnectio'n with the ap} pended claims I V H The. 'nvention. is Zin'the. nature of an. im provement upon .sthe! devicewdisclosed and claimed['in .thelcopending application of v Oscar:H.fPieper et.'al.,3. SerialNo; 7 51,219,;

filed November 21, 51924; and resides in cer; tain: improvementsthereover .and' details which will i be "hereinafter" more .fully I'de iscribed and. setiortliinthe appended claims."

In the.accompanying,drawings: Fig. 1 is. an ,elevation.ofxdental. X-r'ayapparatus having a shieldl'zconstru'cted inJac-. cordancewit-hthisfinventiongi Fig-.2 is a siclelelevation on a largerscale. oftheXrray: tube'ofthe. same, and its guard; a portion of theshellenclosing'th highgfte'na Application filed. ul [12, 11926:seriainmflizreaei sion terminal being broken away ;t-i11us: tratecertain details otherwise concealed thereby,

Fig.3 is a planet the same; I p I 0 Fig. 4 is 'an'end elevation'ofthe-guard? Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the tube and guard,thesection being taken" approxi matelyalongthe =lin'e5- 5 of Fig. ,3;

Fig. 6 isa sectional elevation of a portion 1 0 ofthe guard, "with thesection taken 'approxi mately' along the "line" 66 of Fig. "3

Fig.7 is a sectional elevationof one'end" of the guard'and the-rodstowhich it 'is" clamped; the section being taken as along thlinelT-iflof Fig. 2; f I i Fig. 8 is a plan-of the'high"tension" ter minalenclosingshell; and I l Q j Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation ofaportion'of 'the' guard, the section being taken" apxproximately along the line99 of 'Figig5." In the illustrated embodiment-.of'the invention, anX-lfay tube' 10 "is'supported' by rings 11' of insulating j m'aterial"which" are? connected by'frods". or'bolts" 12. The ring'stB I 11 are inturn supported "from a 'yoke13', pivotally fm'ounted between "the "armsof a fork 14, "which is in turn *hingedfto "an" arm 15." The'latter"isin .turnhinged at 16,"to. one member '17 of a pair'of telescopic arms,the other member of the pair bein'gtarried byjandextending forwardlyfrom': a stand 18 "fwhich is provided" upon the npperi endf of "acabinet 'l9 conta'ining 'thensual 'hi'ghf tension" apparatus "20.

'The' X-raylv ube" l0 is provided 'with a rearward extension 21, throughwhich" pro: ject's';"endwise the high tension anod'eor ter mina'l "22,"with heat radiation ""fin's123 upon: i the projecting portion ofthe.terininal. -S. A split ring 24 of insulating material; "whosesections may be connected by screws 25, is" fitted "over the 'free endof the. extension 21?- of the 3 tube and "provided withi rearwardl yextending"lugsf26-(see""Figs; .2 and' 9)"i" A3 cupshaped metal shell 27"is passed overthe" roj elcting high tension" anode 'or terminal and theheat radiation 'fins thereomfiand at" its 0 en end'abutsagainst"thesplit' ring'24 and 1s fitted over and connected to the" lugs; 26, so asto besupported'thereby,"separation' being 'lprevented by screws" 28 seeFi'gfi '8) f A'coil'spring29 fitting overa pin" 301611" the I inner endface of the j cup-shaped shell 27 fabuts under compression against the'end of the terminalf 22 "and makes electrical:- con tact'thereW-ith; v Atongueiil inay be securedto the shell 27 in any suitable manner, and atits free end may have an aperture 32 for receiving a hook 33 at the freeend of the. high tension cable or conductor 84 running from the hightension apparatus 20 of the cabinet. The cable or conductor 84 may besupported at intervals by suitable insulators 35 mounted at the ends ofsuitable struts 36, as usual in such appliances. The metal shell 27 thusserves as a medium of connectionbetween the high tension cable and theterminal and anode of the tube, and will at all times have the potentialof the anode.

The split ring 24 grips the tube for some distance each side of itssplit, and may be provided with a cork or other yielding lining 37 alongthe contact surface to avoid injury to the tube when the ring sectionsare drawn together. The ring sections may be elsewhere cut away orchanneled as at 38 and 39 (see Fig. 6 particularly) so as to providechannels extending into the interior of the shell 27.- Such channelspermit of the entrance and exit of air passing around the heat radiatingfins to cool the same. The shell 27 may also be provided upon one facewith a plurality of ventilation openings 40.

A 'wire guard 41 is connected to the imperforate side or section of theshell 27 by insulation struts or bars 42, such bars being threaded intoapertures provided in the lugs 26 that extend rearwardly from the splitring 24 (see Fig. 9). The shell 27 at its open end may be provided withslots 43 for embracing the struts 42. The guard extends forwardly andterminates in. a more or less U-shaped cross bar 44, the free ends ofthe arms of which are provided with channels 45 for fitting againsttherods 12 that connect the tube supporting rings 11. Set screws 46 carriedby the free ends of the arms of the bar 44 may be engaged with the rods12, so as to prevent disengagement of the bar 44 from those rods andthus provide a support and anchorage for the forward end of the guard41.

The rings 11 which grip the tube may be adjusted laterally in arcuatearms of the yoke 13, and in order to ground the guard 41' in all of itsadjusted positions, the cross bar 44 may be provided with a leaf spring4'1, which at its free end carries a contact pin 48 for engagementwith across bar of the yoke at all adjustable positions of the tube. The yoke13 is of metal and suitably grounded, and thus the guard 41 which isalso of metal will be grounded.

In the use of the apparatus which has just been described the guard 41effectively prevents contact with the high tension anode of the tube bythe patient or operator in the normal use of the tube, and inasmuch asthe guard is grounded, contact with the guard by the patient will resultin no injury to the patient. The struts 42 serve to keep the rear thefins and the anode.

least, and therefore, there will be no thin edges or projectionsextending toward the guard or patient which. would increase the tendencyfor the high potential on the anode and shell to break down and jump theairgap between the shell and guard. The metal shell and the split ringare relatively inexpensive, and effectively reduce thetendency of thehigh tension current to break down the air gap to the guard. The maximumof safety, and the cooling of the anode are thus obtained at a minimumof expense.

It will be obvious that various changes in the details, which have beenherein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of theinvention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle.and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

claim as my invention: I

1. In X-ray appliances, an X-ray tube, a support for the same, a guardsupported in spaced relation to said tube to prevent manual contacttl1erewitl1,and a metal shell en having in one portion,ahigh tensionterminal,'a guard disposed in spaced relation to said portion ofthe tubefor preventing me chanical contact with said tube portion,'and a metalwall interposed between the guard and said'tubeportion in spacedrelation tosaid guard,and connected electrically to said terminal, theface of said wall towards the guard being smooth and imperforate, toreduce the tendency of the high potential to jump the gap to said guard.

8. In X-ray appliances, an X-ray tube having in one portion a hightension terminal, a grounded guarddisposed in spaced relation to saidportion of the tube for preventing mechanical contact with said tubeportion, and a metal wall interposed between the guard and said tubeportion in spaced re-' lation to said guard, and connected electricallyto said terminal, the face of said wall projections, said shell beingimperforate and smooth upon the face toward the patient, and providedwith ventilating apertures upon the face furthest from the patientwhereby breaking down of the air gap from the shell towards the patientwill be resisted to the maximum.

5. In X-ray appliances, an X-ray tube having at one end a high tensionterminal with heat radiating projections, a ring secured to said end ofthe tube, a metal shell having an open end fitting over and secured tothe ring and enclosing and electric-ally connected to said terminal andits projections, a guard disposed in spaced relation to the shell forpreventing mechanical contact therewith, the face of the shell towardsthe guard being imperforate and smooth, and the portion of the-shellaway from the guard being provided with ventilating openings.

6. In X-ray appliances, an X-ray tube having at one end a high tensionterminal with heat radiating projections, a ring secured to said end ofthe tube, a metal shell having an open end fitting over and secured tothe ring and enclosing and electrically connected to said terminal andits projections, a grounded guard of electrically conducting materialdisposed in spaced relation to the shell for preventing mechanicalcontact therewith, the face of the shell towards the guard beingimperforate and smooth, and

the portion of the shell away from the guard being provided withventilating openings.

i 7. In X-ray appliances, an X-ray tube having at one end a high tensionterminal with heat radiating projections, a ring secured to said end ofthe tube, a metal shell having an open end fitting over and secured tothe ring and enclosing and electrically connected to said terminal andits projections, a guard disposed in spaced relation to Y the shell forpreventing mechanical contact therewith, the face of the shell towardsthe guard being imperforate and smooth, and the portion of the shellaway from the guard being provided with ventilating openings,

said ring having a channelfrom face to face to admit ventilation air tothe interior of said shell.

8. In Xeray appliances, an 'X-ray tube having in one portion ahigh'tension terminal, a grounded guard disposed in spaced relation tosaid portion of the tube for preventing mechanicalcontact with said tubeportion, and a metal -wall interposed between the guard'and said tubeportion in spaced relation to said guard, the face of said wall towardsthe guard being smooth and imperforate, to reduce the tendency of thehigh potential to jump the gap to said guard.

ALPHONSE F, PIEPER.

